Just like last time I posted about cooking, I’ll begin with a brutally honest assessment of my cooking skills. I can put a meal together fine, but I typically don’t do anything fancy or flashy. I’m still just a simple home cook. Because of this skill level, I was a little nervous at first when I picked up Looking Back, Cooking Forward by Certified Executive Chef Mary Brady. It was mostly daunting because of the credentials of its author Mary Brady, restauranteur and former chef/owner of Diamond Jim Brady’s Bistro in Detroit.
My anxiety was unfounded. The recipes were clear and easy to prepare, especially the one I decided to try. Of all the delicious recipes, I decided to give my best shot at mushroom pâté. I like mushrooms. The picture in the book looked delicious. In fact, every recipe comes with a picture and a story. Plus, honestly I’ve always wanted to try and make a pâté. It sounds elegant and interesting. So I once again gathered the ingredients, prepared my kitchen gadgetry, and readied myself to make something amazing.
Just a few ingredients!
The recipe was big, so I halved it for convenience. This time I was able to gather all the Proper ingredients, including beautiful organic mushrooms and genuine, dense sourdough. I did use Neufchatel because it’s a little leaner than regular cream cheese, but the author says this is an acceptable change to make so there. Also, I realize in the picture the “beautiful” mushrooms are obscured by the bread. I suppose you’ll have to take my word for it. They really were nice.
The Prep is complete!
You can sort of see them here, though they have been through my haphazard prep process. I don’t mind this step as much as I used to thanks once again to a beloved kitchen gadget, the garlic chopper.
A game changer!
It’s probably a bit more reliable to mince garlic by hand, but as a simple home cook I like my short cuts. Next comes the most fun step (to me), the actual cooking! First you melt the butter, then in with the onion and garlic. Once your kitchen smells amazing, it’s time to add the mushrooms and season.
Most. Fun. Step.
When the mushrooms are soft you can add the sourdough in chunks, and mix together. Then it’s time to drop everything in the food processor and let it do its thing.
The Final Product!
All that was left was to taste and then chill my pâté. It absolutely passed the taste check. Let me tell you this unassuming looking pâté was one of the tastiest things I have made in a while. There is a final step that I opted not to do, which is pickling some red onion to include with the pâté. Not that it’s difficult to do or anything, I just ran out of time. But I can well imagine that they would add a neat twist to this already fantastic recipe.
This Made in Michigan cookbook is an outstanding addition to the library’s collection. Not only do I highly recommend you follow the link above and look into checking this book out for your own use, but I also suggest you come and see the author here at the Commerce Township Community Library on May 7 in the White Pine Room at 6:30 PM. She will be discussing the book as well as her career as a certified executive chef. There will also be copies of the books available for sale. Registration begins Wednesday, April 16 at 10:00 AM!